| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.12 |
| Liaison | Richard Manton |
| Submission Date | Sept. 12, 2024 |
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Michelle
O'Dowd Community and Sustainability Officer Office of Deputy President and Registrar |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
In 2024, a variety of questions on sustainability culture were included in a University 'student voice' survey which was sent to all students and received 2,700 responses. The questions are provided below.
These questions were repeated from a similar survey in 2019 to measure change over time. The survey questions were developed by the Sustainability Office.
A separate survey on university values was sent to all students and staff and included questions on sustainability as a strategic value.
The survey results are currently influencing the University's next sustainability strategy and the broader work of the Sustainability Office.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
To what extent, if at all, would you say that you personally agree with the following statements?
Sustainability is something which the University should actively incorporate and promote
Sustainability is something which all University courses should actively incorporate and promote
Sustainability is something which I would like to learn more about
Sustainability is something all lecturers should incorporate within their teaching
If you could do 2 things to make the University more sustainable, what would they be?
Increase the amount of renewable energy generated on campus
Implement facilities to cook and reheat food in all campus buildings
Ban single-use cups and plastic bottles on campus
Implement a sustainability training programme for all students & staff
Implement water refill stations in all campus buildings
Reduce the number of car parking space on campus
Hold more classes and coursework outside in nature
Provide more classes and services online
Nothing at all. The University does not need to take any action.
Other (please specify)
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The Student Voice survey and the University Values survey were both distributed by the university centrally and the responses were analysed to measure the representativeness of the samples.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
There was very strong agreement that:
· The University should actively incorporate and promote sustainability (94% agree)
· All University courses should actively incorporate and promote sustainability (91% agree)
· Sustainability is something which I would like to learn more about (83% agree)
· All lecturers should incorporate sustainability within their teaching (72% agree)
When asked what the University could do to be more sustainable, the top five responses (in order) were as follows:
1. Implement facilities to cook and reheat food in all campus buildings
2. Increase the amount of renewable energy generated on campus
3. Implement water refill stations in all campus buildings
4. Provide more classes and services online
5. Ban single-use cups and plastic bottles on campus
The key points arising in the ‘Other (please specify)’ open-ended comments related to: travel (bus services, bike facilities, availability of student parking), space (seating, access outside catering hours, pods, green space, relaxing/quiet space), food (microwaves, vegan/vegetarian options, waste), energy efficiency, bins and recycling, reducing paper use, and water refill (more stations, consistent quality).
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.